Prime Minister's Office
English rendering of PM’s address at the inauguration of 17th Indian Cooperative Congress
My cabinet colleague Shri Amit Shah, President of the National Cooperative Union Mr. Dileep Sanghani, Dr. Chandrapal Singh Yadav, all members of cooperative unions from every nook and corner of the country, our farmer brothers and sisters, other dignitaries, ladies and gentlemen! My heartiest congratulations to all of you on the 17th Indian Cooperative Conference! I welcome and greet you all to this conference!
Friends,
Today our country is working on the goal of a developed and a self-reliant India. And I had declared from the ramparts of the Red Fort that everyone's effort is necessary to achieve each of our goals and the spirit of cooperatives also sends out the message of everyone's effort. Today, we rank number-1 in milk production in the world, thanks to the contribution made by the dairy co-operatives. India is one of the largest sugar producing countries in the world; and again, our cooperatives play a major role in this too. In a large part of the country, cooperatives have become a major support for small farmers. Today, our mothers and sisters hold about 60 percent participation in the cooperative sectors like dairy. So, to pursue the massive goals for a developed India, we decided to give a big push to cooperatives. Like Amit Bhai has just described in detail, for the first time we have formed a separate ministry for cooperatives and have made a provision for a separate budget. Today co-operatives are being provided with the same facilities and the same platforms that are available to the corporate sector. In order to further strengthen the cooperative societies, tax rates have also been reduced for them. The issues related to cooperative sector which were pending for years are being resolved at a rapid pace. Our government has also strengthened cooperative banks. Rules and regulations have been eased for co-operative banks to help them open new branches and to help them provide banking services at people's doorstep.
Friends,
A large number of our farmer brothers and sisters are associated with this programme. You are experiencing the changes that have come from the reformed policies as well as the decisions that have been taken in the last 9 years. You might remember the usual and frequent demands of the farmers prior to 2014. Farmers used to complain that they would get very little assistance from the government. And whatever little help was received used to go to the middlemen. Small and medium farmers of the country remained deprived of the benefits of the government schemes. This situation has completely changed in the last 9 years. Today, crores of small farmers are getting PM Kisan Samman Nidhi. No more middlemen and no bogus beneficiaries! In the last four years, Rs 2.5 lakh crore have been sent directly to the bank accounts of the farmers under this scheme. All of you are leading the cooperative sector; so, I hope that you will look into these figures closely. If I compare it with another figure, you will easily be able to guess how big this amount is! If we add the total agriculture budget of the 5 years before 2014, it was less than Rs 90 thousand crore! That is, almost 3 times the amount spent on the whole agriculture system of the entire country at that time, have been spent by us only on one single scheme i.e. PM Kisan Samman Nidhi.
Friends,
Modi guarantees that the farmers would not be burdened with the rising costs of fertilizers and chemicals around the world. The BJP government at the centre has given you this guarantee. Today, the farmer is getting a bag of urea at a cost of less than Rs.270 per bag. The same bag is available for Rs 720 in Bangladesh, Rs 800 in Pakistan, Rs 2100 in China. And brothers and sisters, in a developed country like America, farmers are getting the same amount of urea for more than Rs 3,000. I don't think you're getting my point. We must understand this difference. What is a guarantee after all? It shows how much effort is required to transform the life of the farmer. Overall, if we look at the last 9 years and I am talking only about fertilizer subsidy alone, the BJP government has spent more than Rs 10 lakh crore. What could be a bigger guarantee than this?
Friends,
From the very beginning, our government has been very serious about ensuring that farmers get a fair price for their crops. In the last 9 years, farmers have received more than Rs 15 lakh crore as a result of increasing the MSP. That means, if you calculate, every year the central government is spending more than Rs 6.5 lakh crore on agriculture and farmers which means that every year, on an average, the government is providing Rs 50 thousand to every farmer in some form or the other. That is, in the BJP government, farmers are guaranteed to get Rs 50 thousand every year in different ways. This is Modi's guarantee. And I am talking about what I have already done; these are not promises.
Friends,
In line with the farmer friendly approach, another major decision has been taken a few days back. The central government has announced a package of Rs 3 lakh 70 thousand crores for the farmers. Moreover, the fair and remunerative price for sugarcane farmers has now been increased to a record Rs 315 per quintal. This will directly benefit more than 5 crore sugarcane farmers and lakhs of workers working in sugar mills.
Friends,
The country's cooperative sector is going to play a major role in order to raise the potential of the country's villages and the country's farmers in 'Amritkaal'. Together, the government and the cooperative will give double strength to the resolve of a developed India, a self-reliant India. The government increased transparency with Digital India and delivered benefits directly to every beneficiary. Today, even the poorest of the poor people of the country believe that corruption and nepotism at the higher level has come to an end. Now, when cooperatives are being promoted so much, it is necessary that the common man, our farmers, our cattle rearers should also experience these things in their everyday life and believe the same. It is imperative that the cooperative sector becomes a model of transparency and corruption-free governance. The trust of the ordinary citizens of the country in the co-operatives should be stronger. To ensure that, it is imperative that the digital system is promoted in cooperatives as much as possible. We have to end the dependence on cash transactions. For this, all the people from the cooperative sector need to make efforts through a campaign. I have done a crucial job for you by forming a ministry. Now you do an equally crucial job for me by moving towards digital and going cashless and ensuring complete transparency. If we all put efforts together, we will surely get success very quickly. Today India is recognized in the world for its digital transactions. In such a scenario, cooperative societies and cooperative banks will also have to take the lead in it. With this, transparency as well as your efficiency in the market will increase and better competition will also be possible.
Friends,
The most important primary level co-operative society i.e. PACS, will now become a model of transparency and modernity. I am told that computerization of more than 60 thousand PACS being done so far and I congratulate you for the same. But it is very important that the cooperatives also improve their work and lay emphasis on the use of technology. When every level of co-operative societies will adopt a system like core banking, and when the members will accept 100 percent online transactions, it will be of great benefit to the country.
Friends,
Today you can see that India's exports are constantly creating new records. ‘Make in India; is also being discussed all over the world today. In such a scenario, the government is trying to ensure that cooperatives also increase their contribution in this field. With this objective, today we are particularly encouraging cooperative societies related to manufacturing. The tax for them has also been reduced to a great extent now. Cooperative sector is also playing a major role in increasing exports. Our co-operatives are doing a commendable job in the dairy sector. Milk powder, butter and ghee are being exported in large quantities today. Now probably they are entering the field of honey as well. There is no lack of strength in our villages and countryside, but we have to move forward with determination. Today, India's coarse grains, Millets, which is identified as 'Sri Anna' in the world have become a hot topic of discussion now. For this a new market is being created in the world. And I had just visited America. The banquet hosted by the US President, included coarse grains, or a variety of 'Sri Anna'. Due to the initiative of the Government of India, this year is being celebrated as International Year of Millets all over the world. Can't co-operative friends like you make efforts to take the country's food grains to the world market? And with this, small farmers too will get a major source of income. This will start a new tradition of nutritious food. You must make efforts in this direction and carry forward the efforts of the government.
Friends,
Over the years we have shown that when there is will power, even the biggest of the challenges can be challenged. For example, I will talk to you about the sugarcane co-operatives. There was a time when farmers used to receive lower price for sugarcane and the money was also stuck for years together. Even if the production of sugarcane increased, the farmers would be in trouble and if the production of sugarcane fell the farmers were definitely in trouble. In such a situation, the trust of the sugarcane farmers in the cooperatives was weakening. We focused on finding a permanent solution to this problem. We provided a package of Rs 20 thousand crore to sugar mills to clear the old pending payments of sugarcane farmers. We focused on producing ethanol from sugarcane and blending of ethanol with petrol. Just imagine, in the last 9 years ethanol worth Rs 70 thousand crore has been purchased from sugar mills. This has helped the sugar mills to make timely payments to the sugarcane farmers. Earlier, our government abolished the tax which was used to be imposed on paying a higher price for sugarcane. So, we have also resolved the decades-old problems related to tax. In this year’s budget too, special assistance of Rs 10,000 crore has been allocated to cooperative sugar mills to settle old claims. All these efforts are bringing permanent changes in the sugarcane sector, strengthening the cooperatives within this sector.
Friends,
On one hand we have to increase exports, while on the other hand we have to continuously reduce our dependence on imports. We often say that India is self-sufficient in food grains. But what is the reality? Self-sufficiency in wheat, paddy and sugar alone is not enough. When we talk about food security, it should not just be limited to wheat and rice. I want to remind you of a few things. We need to wake up my farmer brothers and sisters! You will be shocked to know that be it the import of edible oil, import of pulses, import of fish feed or of processed and other products in the food sector, every year we spend 2 - 2.5 lakh crore rupees on these items. The money goes abroad. That means this money has to be sent abroad. Is this the right thing for a food-dominated country like India? The leadership of such a huge promising cooperative sector is in front of me. So, I naturally expect from you that we move in the direction of a revolution. Should this money go into the pockets of the farmers of India or not? Should it go to the foreign countries?
Friends,
It is understandable that we do not have vast oil wells. So, we have to import petrol and diesel from abroad; that is our compulsion. But self-reliance is possible in edible oil. You would be aware that the central government has worked in mission mode for this, like starting Mission Palm oil. We encouraged Palmolein cultivation so that we could produce Palmolein oil from it. Similarly, a large number of initiatives are being taken to promote oilseed crops. If the country's cooperative institutions take over the reins of this mission, we will see that very soon we have become self-sufficient in terms of edible oil. You can do a lot of things from creating awareness in the farmers to providing information and facilities related to plantation, technology and procurement.
Friends,
The Central Government has started another important scheme for the fisheries sector. Today, a lot of progress is being made in the production of fish under the PM Matsya Sampada Yojana. Wherever there are rivers and small ponds across the country, villagers and farmers are getting additional source of income through this scheme. Under this, assistance is also being given for feed production at the local level. Today more than 25 thousand cooperative societies are working in the fisheries sector. As a result, many activities like fish processing, fish drying and fish curing, fish storage, fish canning and fish transport have been strengthened in an organized way. It has helped in improving the lives of fishermen and in generating employment. Inland fisheries have also doubled in the last 9 years. And as we created a separate Ministry of Cooperatives, a new power has emerged from it. Similarly, there was a strong demand for a long time that the country should form a separate ministry for fisheries. We did that too. We arranged for a separate budget for that too and the results of that field are clearly visible. All of you should come forward to explore how the cooperative sector can further expand this campaign. This is my expectation from you. The cooperative sector will have to do something different from its traditional approach. The government is making every effort on its part. Now the role of PACS is increasing in many new sectors like pisciculture. We are working on the target of creating 2 lakh new Multipurpose societies across the country. And as Amit Bhai said, if we consider all the panchayats, this figure will increase further. With this, the power of co-operatives will reach even those villages and those panchayats, where this system does not exist at present.
Friends,
In the past years, we have also laid special emphasis on the creation of Farmer Producer Organizations i.e., FPOs. At present, work is underway to create 10,000 new FPOs across the country and out of this, about 5,000 have already been formed. These FPOs are going to give a boost to the small farmers. These are a means of making small farmers a big force in the market. This campaign ensures that from seed to market, the small farmers can turn every system in his favour, and can challenge the power of the market. Government has also decided to form FPOs through PACS. That's why there is immense potential for cooperatives in this sector.
Friends,
Co-operative sector can also give additional strength to the efforts of the government in terms of increasing the other sources of income for the farmers. Be it honey production, organic food, a campaign to generate electricity by installing solar panels on farm fields or soil testing, cooperation of the cooperative sector is extremely necessary.
Friends,
Today chemical free farming, natural farming is the priority of the government. And now I congratulate those daughters of Delhi for shaking our hearts. Mother Earth was crying out and saying "don't kill me". They have tried to awaken us through the theatrical stage performance in a very good way. I would like that every co-operative organization forms such a team, which would stage its performance in every village in this manner to create awareness in people and wake them up. Recently a massive scheme, PM-PRANAM has been approved. The aim is to ensure that more and more farmers adopt chemical-free farming. Under this, emphasis will be laid on the production of alternative fertilizers, or organic fertilizers. Consequently, the soil will be safe and the cost of the farmers will also be reduced. The contribution of cooperative organizations is very crucial in this initiative. I urge all the cooperative organizations to get involved with this campaign as much as possible. You can decide that there will be 100% chemical-free farming in 5 villages of your district, and ensure that not even a single ounce of chemical is used in any farm within those 5 villages. Due to this, awareness will increase in the entire district and everyone's efforts will also increase.
Friends,
There is another mission which is ensuring both chemical-free farming and additional income for the farmers. This is Gobardhan Yojana. Under this, wealth from waste is being generated across the country. It is becoming a massive means of generating electricity and organic fertilizers from cow dung and waste. Today the government is developing a huge network of such plants. Many big companies have built more than 50 bio-gas plants in the country. Cooperative societies also need to come forward for these Gobardhan plants. This will certainly benefit the cattle rearers, but at the same time the animals which have been abandoned on the roads will also be put to good use.
Friends,
All of you work very extensively in the dairy sector, and in the animal husbandry sector. A large number of cattle rearers are associated with the cooperative movement. You all are aware that the diseases in animals can put a farmer in a major trouble. Foot and mouth disease has long been a cause of great distress to our animals. Due to this disease, livestock farmers suffer a loss of thousands of crores of rupees every year. Therefore, for the first time, the Central Government has launched a free vaccination campaign across the country for the same. We remember the free vaccine against Covid very clearly. This is an equally massive campaign going on to provide free vaccines to the animals. Under this, 24 crore animals have been vaccinated. But we are yet to root out FMD. Be it vaccination campaign or animal tracing, cooperatives should come forward for these purposes. We have to remember that cattle rearers are not the only stakeholders in the dairy sector. Friends, kindly respect my sentiments; cattle rearers are not the only stakeholders, but our animals too are equal stakeholders. That's why we have to contribute considering it as our responsibility.
Friends,
I have no doubt about the ability of cooperatives to make all the missions of the government successful. And I have seen the power of cooperatives in the state where I come from. Cooperatives also played a pivotal role in the freedom movement. So, I can't resist myself from making an appeal to all of you to participate in another major task. I had made an appeal to build 75 Amrit Sarovars in every district on the occasion of 75 years of independence. In less than a year, about 60 thousand Amrit Sarovars have been built across the country. It is the extension of the work done by the government in the last 9 years to supply water to every household and every field, whether it is for irrigation or for drinking purposes. This is the way to increase the source of water so that there is no shortage of water for the farmers and our animals. That's why the friends associated with the cooperative sector must also join this auspicious campaign. You may be active in any field of co-operative sector, but according to your ability, you can decide how many ponds to build; whether to build one, two, five, or ten. But be determined to work in the direction of water conservation. If Amrit Sarovar is built in every village, future generations will remember us with a lot of gratitude that the water they will be getting is the result of the efforts of their forefathers. We have to leave something for our future generations too. Another campaign related to water is Per Drop More Crop. Awareness is very important for how our farmers can adopt smart irrigation. More water doesn't guarantee more crop. Cooperative societies will also have to expand their role in order to expand micro irrigation in every village. The central government is providing a lot of assistance and encouragement for the same.
Friends,
Storage is also a major issue. Amit Bhai has described it in detail. The lack of facilities to store food grains has resulted in losses and a great blow to our food security and our farmers in the long run. Today in India, we can store less than 50 percent of the food grains we produce. Now the central government has come up with the world's largest storage scheme. What was the result of all that work which was done in the country for a long time in the last several decades? We have a storage capacity of more than 1400 lakh tonnes. It is our resolve to create 50 percent of this i.e. about 700 lakh tonnes of new storage capacity in the coming 5 years. This is certainly a herculean task, which will increase the potential of the farmers of the country and will create new jobs in the villages. For the first time, our government has also created a special fund of one lakh crore rupees for the infrastructure related to agriculture in the villages. I have been told that Rs 40,000 crore has been invested under this in the last 3 years. Cooperative societies and PACS have a major share in this. Cooperative sector needs to make more efforts in building farmgate infrastructure, and systems like cold storage.
Friends,
I am sure that in new India, cooperatives will become a powerful stream of the country's economy. We also have to move towards building such villages, which will become self-reliant by following the cooperative model. Your discussion on how this transformation can be further improved will prove to be extremely vital. You must also discuss how to improve co-operation in co-operatives as well. Co-operatives should become the bearer of social policy and national policy instead of politics. I am sure, your suggestions will further strengthen the cooperative movement in the country and will help in achieving the goal of a developed India. It was a pleasure to have the opportunity to be among all of you once again. I wish you all the very best!
Thank you!
DISCLAIMER: This is the approximate translation of PM’s speech. Original speech was delivered in Hindi.